Consultations

Joint meeting of the Armenian and Artsakh Security Councils

On 12 March 2019 the joint meeting of the Armenian and Artsakh Security Councils chaired by Premier of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan was held in Stepanakert. The key discussion theme of the meeting was the joint assessment of the current state of affairs in the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict and elaboration of a coordinated action plan in this sphere. The assessment of the Artsakh security system made by the members of the Armenian and Artsakh Security Councils reaffirmed the high level of security and defense capacities. The two Armenian sides reiterated their support for and commitment to the settlement of the conflict exclusively by peaceful means under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, building upon the fundamental principles of the International Law, in particular, the realization of the right of peoples to self-determination. Premier Nikol Pashinyan of the Republic of Armenia in particular noted, "Armenia remains committed to the negotiation process, and as the guarantor of the security of Artsakh will pursue exerting efforts in this direction. At the same time, the decisive voice of Artsakh and its involvement remains pertinent for the making the peace process full-fledged and effective." In his turn, Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan underscored that the unconditional implementation of the 1994-1995 cease-fire trilateral agreements constituted the basis of a conducive to peace atmosphere, making an important input to the advancement of the peace process. "Artsakh is ready to continue its constructive contribution to the process of establishing lasting and durable peace in the region", noted Bako Sahakyan.It was emphasized during the joint meeting that ensuring security and status of Artsakh within the framework of the Karabagh cause have been and will remain absolute priorities for the Armenian sides. Special importance was given to forming an atmosphere of peace, introducing risk reduction and incident prevention mechanisms and confidence-building measures, as it was fixed within the framework of the summits of Dushanbe, and prior to those of Vienna and St. Petersburg.